Letters To The Editor

We were one of the few hotels and food services available in the Williamsburg area on Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day. We had expected to house on Christmas Eve approximately 60 people with a Christmas Eve buffet for 70. By midnight Christmas Eve, we had filled all of our 300 rooms and had fed through both of our restaurants almost 800 people.

This momentum continued through breakfast Christmas Day until Sunday afternoon.

On Christmas afternoon, we received a phone call from the Red Cross to take in the Chambrel seniors, which we unquestionably agreed to do.

Prior to the folks from Chambrel coming over, a representative met with my assistant manager and food and beverage director. She was shown the area and understood that we do not have cots at the Hospitality House. She also informed us that food had been taken care of and was being supplied by the Red Cross. We did manage to provide, at no cost, five rooms that took care of approximately 20 ladies. We would have done more if we had the room.

It is unfortunate that with everything that my employees and their families went through over the past several days, one reporter felt it necessary to state a very negative impression of what really took place at our hotel over the holidays.

J. Michael Sullender, general manager

The Williamsburg Hospitality House

Williamsburg

VENGEFUL SEQUEL

The drive to impeach President Clinton is not about sex, lies, the rule of law, abuse of power, or national morality; it's about politics - raw power politics.

The only other president to be impeached was Andrew Johnson, and the resemblances are eerie. Johnson was determined to carry out Lincoln's policy of reconciliation between North and South, but the radical Republicans were determined to impose harsh penalties on the South. They had despised Lincoln and they despised Johnson, both of whom had risen from humble beginnings. They had total control of Congress, and after Johnson's impeachment and near conviction, he was a broken man.

The result was that the harsh reconstruction policy was imposed on the South by northern "carpetbaggers," causing decades of poverty and suffering. This eventually led to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and the spread of lynch mobs to terrorize the downtrodden black population.

Only recently has the South recovered from the effects of this vengeful, partisan policy.

The same type of narrow minded, vengeful Republicans have now taken control of their party.

Their drive to get rid of President Clinton is no "right wing conspiracy," because it has been open and public ever since his election.

Anyone who reads the letters to the Daily Press or listens to radio talk shows knows this.

Unlike Andrew Johnson, Clinton has had time to prove himself an effective president. Weakening or removing him by this irresponsible, senselessly partisan impeachment could lead to disaster worse than Reconstruction, because it would affect our whole nation and the world community.

Al Schy

Hampton

ABOMINABLE CRIME

I am confused.

Doctors did everything in their power to save the lives of the octuplets born in Texas.

The smallest weighed 10 ounces (just over the weight of two sticks of butter).

What a miracle from God.

Now here's where the confusion sets in. Doctors everyday murder babies weighing much more than 10 ounces. But this is called by fancy names such as abortion and pro-choice.

When doctors and nurses and even mothers are questioned about this procedure, they claim that the child in question is not a person.

If these little octuplets are not persons, then please explain to me what they are? These people are just trying to rationalize murder of babies.

I do not believe in violence and would never hurt anyone, but instead I will continue to pray for these innocents and their mothers and doctors or anyone else who participates in these atrocities.

Violence against children is an abominable crime and abortion is violence against the most helpless of children, and it should not be tolerated.

Margaret Stone

Newport News

WORLD-CLASS PAY

In reference to the "Bonus feedback" article in Saturday Dec.12 Business section of the Daily Press.

I too was very impressed with your decision to return a $450,000 bonus, William Fricks. Kudos to you!

I also liked your response "I just did what I thought was right." Glad to hear that from one of my associates.

I am one of your union eligible associates at the top of our pay scale. I have three children. I believe the average for this area is supposed to be 2.5 children, but I couldn't find anyone that wanted half my third child, so I kept the whole thing. I had to make a high-level decision myself on that one.